Dust-guard.



C. P. ASTROM.

DUST GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED MAY], 1914.

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C. P. ASTROM. I

DUST GUARD.

. APPLICATION FILED MAY 7, I914. 1,21 1,037. Patented 5311.2, 191?,

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CARL P. ASTROM, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO 1W. H. TREADWELLCOMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

DUST-GUARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patentel Jan. 2, 1917.

Application filed May 7, 1914. Serial No. 836,840.

rangement of dust guard for journal boxes and the like, the especialobject of the invention being the provision of a device of thischaracter which will insure an exceedingly tight closure against thepassage of dirt or fire into orout of the journal box and is soconstructed that the bearings for the shaft entering the box may beremoved and new ones substituted, thus giving the main portion of theguard a permanent character.

Further advantages of the improved dust guard lie in the fact that itmay be constructed by stamping it from sheet metal, rendering the guardfireproof, easy and cheap of manufacture, and capable of easyapplication to the journal box and removal therefrom. V

A further object of the invention is the provision of .an improvedbearing for the guard, constructed in sections and having the sectionsso joined that they are capable of inward movement toacconnnodatewearing away of the metal, and at the same time'apractically impervious-joint is provided preventing the passage offire, or foreign matter into the journal box at this point.

A full understanding of the invention will be obtained from thefollowing description of a construction embodying the same,

taken'in connection with the accompanying drawings illustratlng ltsseveral features in a preferred form and the scope thereof specifically.pointed out by the appended claims.

In the drawing, Figure 1 is a plan'of the improveddust guard; Fig. 2 isa side elevation of the same; Fig. 3, is a section through an axle boxof the type employed in railway cars illustrating one mode of applyingmy invention; Fig. 4 is a view illustrating the parts of the dust guardseparated to permit their application to the axle box; Fig. 5 is adetail of the improved bearing for the shaft or axle entering the box;and Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail View of the lower portion of the dustguard.

In the form of my invention shown, the dust guard consists of aplurality of 00- operating interlocking sliding members 1 and 2constituting a frame, adapted to receive the shaft. The guard carriesremovable grooved sections 1 and 5 of Babbitt or other suitable bearingmetal. One section .4.- is detachably secured to the upper memher 1 ofthe frame, and the other section 5 similarly secured to the lower member2 of the frame, so that when the two members are assembled the twosections unite to form a continuous bearing as shown in Fig. 3.

As stated, the two members constituting the frame may be constructed ofsheet metal in such a manner that one of the members has an interlockingsliding connection with the other member. This is accomplished in thefollowing manner: The upper member 1 comprises a plate having itscentral portion partially cut away from one end to provide inner sideelongations 8 and 9, the inner edges of which merge into the centraledge 7 of the substantially semicircular cutaway portion. Theseelongations are adapted to enter slots or grooves in the lower member 2of the frame, when the parts are assembled. A filler plate 10 less inwidth than the plate 1 is secured to said plate in any constitutes atongue adapted to receive a V groove in the bearing section 1 to retainit in place. The upper end of the plate 1 has its sides 14: and 15beveled or sloping, and that portion of the metal at their junction bentat right angles to form a centrally located wing 16 to which ispivotally secured a leaf spring 17 as by rivet 18. The lower member ofthe frame is similarly constructed of stamped sheet metal plates andconsists of parallel plates'19 and 20, separated by plate 29, each platehaving its central portion cut away in the same manner as in the uppermember 1 to provide side elongations 21 and 22 on the plate 19, and likeelongations 23 and 21 on the plate 20. The bearing segment 5 has agroove which fits on plate 29, and plates 19 and 20 are cut out largerin order to receive the edges of the bearing 5. The elongations 23 and24: extend beyond the elongations 21 and 22 and sure in one direction isthereby imparted to thelower member of the frame, and pressure theirends are bent at right angles forming shoulders 25, 26, under which thecurved ends 27 and 28 of the spring 17 rest when the guard is assembled.Leaf springs 33 and 3%. having one end secured to one of the externalplates, as 19, of one member rand berinto the grooves 31,32 andinserting the ends ofthe leaf spring 17 under said shoulders 25, 26. Itwill-be observed thatpresin the opposite direction to the; upper member,so that the two member's tend to con tract on the wheel shaft. Thispressure is exerted at all times, and keeps the bearing metal.in'continuouscontact with the axle as the bearingmetal' wears away. Theguard thus automatically accommodates'itself to changes 1n c rcumferencedue" to wearing away of the metal.

The mode of j ommg the two bearing sections is'such that they maybepermitt'ed the desired range of'movement above indicated and atthesame time form a continuous clo sure to prevent entry of dirt, dustand other foreign substances into'the interior of the box, or the exitof fire or combustible gases 7 from an overheated bearing. Such passageof gasesor flame through the inner 'SlClG of a box has been known to seta car on fire.

This is prevented cutting or notching the inner ungrooved portion ofeach section to provide notches or lugs' 35, 36, and completely cuttingaway the extreme ends so thata type of stepped scarf joint is formed.

' When the two sections are assembled the lugs of one member enternotches of the other member, permitting sliding of the section'sand atthe sametime, maintaining a continuous closure around the axle at theinner side of the box. To' assist this, the outer side of the guard ismade flush, so that it tightly fits against the outer shoulder 47 of thebox. Y i

For purposes of illustration, 1 have shown j in Fig. 3 a mode ofapplying my dust guard to a car axle box of standard type. The axleboxconsists of a box frame 37 adapted to receive a suitable lubricantand its vehicle, for instance, tow or cotton waste. A hinged cover 38normally closed by means of a spring 39 permitsaccess tothe box from theexterior. The car axle 40 projects into the box through the internalopening 11 and bearing; metal segments".

its journal 12 contacts with a brass43 held in place by a key 44: in theusual manner. A collar 45 at the end of the axle prevents longitudinal"slipping of-the brassduri-ng rota-- tion. In the rear of the axle box isprovided a dust guard well 46 of usual type into which the dust guard isdropped before the axle is projected into the box. ,The upper section 1of the dust guard is oined in interlocking-relation with said lowersection 2 by sliding the elongations 8 and 9 into the grooves 31 and 82in thelower member and passing the ends'of the leaf spring 17 under theshelves 2'5 and 26-inthe lower member. The'pressure of springs 33, 341actsto press -'the sectionsofthe'bearing against the shoulder" 47 of theboxyand 'the spring 17 keeps the bearings 1, 5 infconstant contact withthe axle asthe-1netal-wears-away=' While the axle is being inserted,the-parts-ofthe dust guard are held spread apart to permit theaxle'endto pass through.

lt'will be'noted that I have thus provided 'a dust guard which isexceedingly simple in construction, easy-"tolmanufacture at a veryslight-cost, and capable ofready and quick 7 application totliejournalbox or other device with which it is associated-u r It will be seenthatth'e present invention provides not only 1 a self--contracting dustguard which performs the ordinary fune- Y tion I of excluding dustfromenteringthe bearing, and preventing-loss of oil from the bearing,but it is 'also fire-proof, and prevents escape 'of' hotcombustible-gases or flames from-the-bearingitself,or passage offire-intothe box- One contemplated use of this invention-is for cindercars, where there is dangerwith ordinary boxes of setting-the bearings"on fire from hot 'cind-er.

frequently become overheated and take fire, and thesefires have*beenknown t'o communicateto the carbypassing through the inner side'of--the'-box',*orgases escaping through 'the inner side of the boxhave: be

come ignited-, as from 1 hot cinder; andset fire *tothe; car or to thebearing. The pres- Railway bearings" W ent construction keeps the firein the, box. r

A further advantage of thisinvention resides in the" provision of theU-shaped re newablebearingsegments 4: and 5. As these wear'awayfthe-pieces will drop,-'-and can easily be removed," whichis a'distinction over a T-shaped bearing. metal segment which would leavethe'sha n'k of-the T in the" slot'between the plates In thebroa'd aspectof the inventionf-T-shaped' bearing segments are" within' the scopaofthis invention,

f equally .Wltll- 'the specific U-shaped-form shown. It will also-be"-observed that no rivets or fasteningsiare employed for the V Afurther'advantage of the construction herein described is that-thefrontor outer side of the dust guard is substantially flush, so that it fitsthe shoulder 47 of the box, this shoulder being at present astandardized element in M. C. B. or other standard railway boxes.

It is to be understood that my invention is not to be limited to theexact details of construction herein shown, nor to the method ofapplication which is shown merely for purposes of illustration, as theinvention is capable of wide variation and considerable modification andmay be adapted for other uses as well without departing from the spiritand scope thereof.

Having thus described my invention, what I declare as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is l. A dust guardcomprising a U-shaped member formed by a pair of spaced plates securedtogether, a. cooperating U-shaped member adapted to slide between saidspaced plates, bearing segments carried by said members and spring meanscarried by one member and engaging the other to draw them together.

2. A dust guard comprising a U-shaped member formed by a pair of spacedplates secured together, a cooperating U-shaped plate member slidingbetween said plates,

bearing segments carried by said members and having their faces on oneside in the fame plane with the side faces of the memers.

8. A dust guard comprising a pair of spaced U-shaped plates securedtogether, one of said plates having inturned ends, a cooperating membersliding between said spaced plates and below said inturned ends,

a spring between said member and said ends, and bearing segments carriedby said member and said plates and pressed together by said spring.

4. A dust guard comprising spaced U- shaped plates secured together, aspacing member between said plates, a second member carrying a fillerplate and sliding between said plates, a spring between said secondmember and said spaced plates, and bearing segments grooved to fit saidmembers, said plates and bearing segments having their faces on one sidein a common plane.

5. A dust guard comprising a pair of U-shaped plates secured together, aspacing member between them projecting into the space between theirarms, a bearing segment grooved to fit the projecting end of saidspacing member and engaging the edges of said plates, a second membersliding between said plates and carrying a second bearing segment, saidsecond member and segments having their faces on one side flush with theside face of one of said plates, and a spring acting between said secondmember and said plates.

6. A dust guard comprising a member having projecting arms to straddle ashaft, shoulders on said arms, a cooperating member slidably engagingsaid arms, a spring carried by said cooperating member and separablyengaging said shoulders for contracting said members on the shaft, andbearing segments carried by said members.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

CARL P. ASTRQM. Witnesses:

J. S. Woos'rnn, G. N. KERR.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of I'atents,

Washington, D. G.

